6 Dental Tools for Healthier Teeth

With technology improving in leaps and bounds, we see improvements everywhere, from our computers to our cars.

Medical care has had more than its share of improvements, from better X-Ray machines, digital technology, to lasers, all of which are frequently used to improve the lives of many a patient.

But, alongside these improvements, there has been a quieter but important improvement in the technology used in dental care at home. At Caringbah Dental Care we help you in our office, but we also want you to have the highest possible level of dental care at home.

With that in mind, we have compiled a list of convenient home dental technologies, all of which are available over-the-counter, that can help you maintain tiptop oral health!

Electric Toothbrush

We’ve been taught to brush our teeth since childhood. Despite this, we’re not always brushing as thoroughly as we can, partly because the bristles on manual toothbrushes cannot remove all of the plaque and tartar built up between your teeth.

An electric toothbrush’s rotating head features bristles that reach further thanks to the combination of motion and equal pressure from the brush itself. Most electronic toothbrushes also have timers for each quadrant of the mouth, ensuring better, longer brushing.

Kids and those with flexibility or mobility issues can be the biggest beneficiaries of electric toothbrushes, which require less technique and coordination to use and almost do the brushing for you!

Tongue Scrapers

A tongue scraper is a device that cleans the upper surface of the tongue. Just pull the scraper over the entire surface of your tongue, starting at the back and moving forward, rinsing after each stroke. Use your scraper first when you wake each morning.

Because the tongue is such a good place for bacteria to develop, scraping can have numerous benefits:

Toothbrush sanitizer

Nobody likes a dirty toothbrush, and we often store our toothbrush in the bathroom, a room full of germs and bacteria. Some sanitizers come with a germicidal UV light that reportedly kills up to 99% of the bacteria on your toothbrush. Sanitizers are small, some nearly the size of a toothbrush case, and usually portable.

Oral Irrigators.

Oral irrigators shoot a steady stream of water into your mouth to dislodge food from hard-to-reach places between and around the teeth. This can be particularly useful for teens, who might have trouble cleaning around their braces, for people with fixed partial dentures, and people with crowns.

Interdental cleaners

If floss alone isn’t keeping the spaces between your teeth clean, you should consider interdental cleaners. These brush-like tools fit between teeth and other tight spaces. Like oral irrigators, these can be useful for people with braces and other dental appliances.

Plaque disclosing tablets and mouth mirrors

There is a simple way to keep track of the hidden plaque in your mouth. All you need is a mouth mirror and plaque disclosing tablets from any local pharmacy.

Disclosing tablets are placed in the mouth and chewed thoroughly. Rub the tablet particle around your teeth with your tongue and swirl the saliva in your mouth for about one minute before spitting and rinsing with water. The disclosing tablet dye will have coloured the plaque on your teeth.

Now, take your mouth mirror and you can look at all of your teeth, even those not visible from the outside, to see where plaque resides. Now you know where you should focus more attention!

These tools can be very helpful. Feel free to discuss what might be best for you with the helpful staff at Caringbah Dental Care. Then, take advantage of your visit to schedule a full checkup!

Caringbah Dental Care, Your Dental Health Partner

We are conveniently located in the heart of Caringbah suburb and located within 5 minutes walk from public transports such as train, bus, and taxi as well as free council car parks.

We offer a complete range of general and emergency treatments, major dental treatments, cosmetic treatments, children’s dental treatment, and nitrous oxide or oral sedation methods.

NO GAP CHILDREN

No gap treatment for all preventive treatments (exam, fluoride and fissure seals) for all children under 16 years covered by health funds with extra/ancillary covers (excludes fillings, extractions and major dental treatments).